


Valentine

by worldsworstclown



Category: Little House on the Prairie (TV)
Genre: Idiots in Love, M/M, Modern AU- dont know when though lol, caroline said gay rights, slight crack, valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worldsworstclown/pseuds/worldsworstclown
Summary: Albert just wants a boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. It kind of works- but it took a lot of thinking.
Relationships: Albert Quinn Ingalls/Willie Oleson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Valentine

**Author's Note:**

> yes i am 3/4 fanfics for this ship on ao3. in my defense- i dont have one. 
> 
> this is slightly crack but i mean that because i based this off of the “playing heart to get” episode of barbie life in the dreamhouse (which is the funniest form of media ive ever seen), also because everyone is Dumb. 
> 
> also- the title is from “valentine” by 5sos (crazy right??)

Their main problem is their competitiveness. It isn’t out in the open like it is with Charles and every slightly mean man he’s ever met before. It’s hidden, underlying. They both know it exists and so does everyone else; besides Charles, who is always out of the loop with his children’s relationships, and Harriet, who strongly dislikes her son’s choice in friends. But they can’t bring it up.

It’s because they both need to impress each other, mostly.

Also, Willie and Albert can both admit it, it’s fun to race when you know there’s no damage in the end.

Their newest, surprisingly out in the open competition is the “Valentine’s Day Race”. Except they aren’t actually racing like they normally do.

Albert proposed it while they stocked the Oleson’s store. He sighed as he put another box of chocolates onto an empty crate and opened it.

“You know what we should do?” He paused, looking over to Willie who- in Willie fashion- was eating a Russell Stover’s chocolate box. “We should see who makes the best, unique, totally original gift for their valentine.”

“You have a valentine?” Willie asked through the caramel, and Albert didn’t miss how he sounded sad.

Albert scrunched his eyes and shook his head. “I've been asked already before but having one? No.”

Willie looked down as he tried to hide his smile. Albert didn’t miss how he sounded happier than before when he looked up to reply. “What does the winner get? Because I already have chocolate.”

“I didn't get to think that far because I was doing all the work.”

“Hey I get stuff done! Who's the one checking people out at the register half the time?”

“Your dad.” Albert interrupted Willie before he could finish his sentence.

Willie didn’t bother responding: he’s been around Albert enough (by his mom’s standards- far too much) to know he’s usually right and could usually argue his point farther than Willie bothered thinking.

\---

Albert came up with the prize when they were playing baseball. Mr. Oleson told them it was probably too cold out to do that, but they did it anyway.

Stringed across the front porch were glittery plastic hearts that certainly can’t be good for the environment, which Albert had pointed out enough to Mrs. Oleson that she banned him from talking about their decorations.

Willie listens to him anyway.

He spoke fast after Willie narrowly missed being hit by the baseball; he was never good at sports. The sun was setting and it lit up the porch with the hearts on strings and the pink and white lights wrapped around the support beams. And Nels was right: it _was_ too cold, not like they actually cared though. Red noses and frozen fingertips just added to the fun. Willie didn’t really think that, he just knew Albert wanted to be outside so he stood out in the cold as long as he could be with him. (Albert mostly wanted to be out in the cold because he liked the way Willie looked blushing) 

“What if the loser has to give their Valentine’s Day gift to the winner’s dad?” They both knew it wasn’t exactly a prize, but it’d be better to win this than lose it, so it worked for the both of them.

Willie scratched his forehead with the baseball that landed in a small mud puddle. Albert laughed slightly at how he didn’t seem to care about having dirt on his face. Before he could tell him all the dangers of mud that he learned from that medical magazine he borrowed from the library last week, Willie interrupted him.

“But your dad doesn’t like me and that would just make him dislike me more!” He pitched the ball to Albert, trying to catch him off guard- then maybe he’d finally win one game- but Albert caught it and tossed it into a dead patch of grass.

Albert thought about what Willie said for a suspiciously long amount of time, at least to Willie who threw his hands in the air and yelled “he does hate me doesn’t he?”. Albert, still thinking, waved his claims out of the cold air. The sun set by now but the moon wasn’t fully risen so there was still some light.

“He doesn’t hate you, he’s just a little... careful.” Albert looked behind him to the store and walked close to Willie to whisper. Willie, because of Albert being close to him and in his regular Willie fashion, blushed, making his already pink face just a bit pinker.

“It's your mom he doesn’t like. He says it’s because she’s ‘going against the lord’.” Albert made air quotes as he spoke: he never bothered to think too deeply into what that meant, all he knew is that Mr. Oleson was the better half.

After Willie stared at Albert's lips for some time, he remembered where he was and nodded his head in agreement: to both Charles’ opinion and to the competition.

Albert smiled as their hands met to shake and how obvious Willie was with affection he thought he hid well. He could tell that Willie wasn’t just friendly with him a lot- even if he didn’t realize, he probably didn’t- and that day was just more proof. Hopefully he’d have enough of a case to propose his next idea on the 14th (not in a marital way, Albert had to shake the thought out of his head, even if it came back multiple times).

\---

With one pad of paper completely ripped apart and thrown in the trash, Albert officially accepts his loser status.

He made a poorly written note every time he thought he had the most unique idea, but then when he would go over to Laura’s house and ask her opinion on it, she’d always tell him it’s too simple, too plain, too impossible.

“You’re not a scientist, you can’t make synthetic roses.” She told him while she tested her cake batter. She scrunched her face and added more sugar. “Besides, roses are everywhere- that’s not unique.”

“But the originality comes from me somehow making them! It has to be possible.”

Laura hummed. “Sure, but not by you. Just ask Ma. Besides, who is your valentine anyway?”  
Suddenly, Albert realized the time. It had no relevance to him, but he pretended it did anyway. “Would you look at that? Wow, time sure does fly with your sister making fun of you!”

She laughed at his obviousness as he practically ran out of her house.

Nothing worked for Albert, but he gave one last attempt at winning: asking Caroline. He loved her, but he didn’t want her giving obvious relationship advice when he didn’t even have one (yet- hopefully). He asked her for help anyway.

She was in the kitchen mixing cake batter (why was everyone in this town always making cake, Albert wondered) on yet another cold Thursday afternoon.

Somehow she knew he was going to ask her a question, because without turning around she asked “yes Albert? What do you need?”

He sighed and guessed it was better to tell her the truth. “How do I tell my best friend I'm in love with him?”

Caroline, being the romantic she is, loved to give relationship advice. The problem is, she assumed the wrong best friend. “Oh honey, you know Andy is at college... he probably won’t have the time for a long distance relationship.” She hugged him.  
“I meant my other best friend, yknow...” he trailed off, because he was kind of in shock at how Caroline didn’t acknowledge him coming out (Albert was happy she didn’t try to “change” him, so he was fine with it).

She gasped and pulled away from their one-sided hug. “You mean Willie? You two would be perfect for each other! Mrs. Foster has been trying to matchmake you both for years.”

Albert was confused, like he normally was. Did everyone in town during their free time just pair up two people and hope they date? He knew they hugged more than their other friends hugged each other and, as Mr. Oleson pointed out, they hugged more than he and Harriet did, but he just assumed it didn’t mean much to them.

It meant a lot to Albert though, and he was positive it meant something to Willie.

Caroline continued. “Besides, you’ve seen the way he looks at you right? You have to know he loves you too.”

Albert blushed. He knows, yes, but he’s never said it out loud- let alone someone else saying it. He couldn’t get out by pretending he had to go home, and he brought this onto himself, so Albert decided he had to suffer through the embarrassment.

After around 10 minutes of Caroline fawning over how sweet Albert is, and then 10 minutes of her telling him that if Mrs. Oleson tries to stop their love she’d handle it, she finally went back to her cake.

“You’ve never been so hesitant before, what’s different now?”

Albert sighed as he sat down at the kitchen table. “Now I’m actually in love.” He rubbed his face in his hands as Caroline smiled to herself.

“Well why don’t you write it in a note? Then you don’t have to say anything.”

Albert, pretending to himself that that was his plan all along and he knew what he was doing, ran to his room. Scrawling his feelings and gluing onto the bottom his original “you love me and here’s why” list; he was sure he was going to win- the competition and Willie’s heart (as cliché as it sounded, he thought).

\--

They both lost.

Willie decided to make the complete opposite of what they were aiming for: a brown paper bag with pink and red and white cut out hearts with too much glue on the back since he wasn’t the best at arts and crafts. When Albert opened it, there was nothing inside.

“That’s the uniqueness- it’s empty!” Willie started to laugh- he thought he was hilarious- while Albert shook his head. He knew Willie tried to come up with just as many creative ideas as he had but nothing stuck.

“I think that’s the worst idea you’ve had. It’s just an old bag.”

Willie glared at him. “I’ve had worse!” He picked up the ‘valentine’ and held it close to Albert's face. “I'll have you know this is from 1988- it’s vintage!”

Before Albert could ask, Willie interrupted him. “I stole it from my grandma. You should meet her, because I think she hates me.”

“That sucks but why does that mean I should have to be near her?”

Willie shrugged and dropped the bag back on the kitchen table. “She’d probably like you. You’re, y'know- small, and she likes cats.”

Albert decided to ignore what Willie said entirely (they’ve had too many arguments on what in life constitutes as small). He pushed his gift forward as he spoke. “Mine wasn’t creative either.” He pulled a bag of cookies out of another bag, which was similar to Willie’s but at least was more put together. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, looking it over and then handed it to Willie.

As he read down the written list of every time he did something romantic towards Albert, he blushed. Apparently he talked about kissing him _a lot_. (He framed it as a joke, but both he and Albert knew it wasn’t.)

Willie grabbed a cookie to try and hide his blush and how excited he was (he can really have a boyfriend now!). “I didn't do anything good because I thought you wouldn’t want to be my valentine.”

“You are terrible at romance, Willie.”

Willie smiled and nodded from where he sat now on the counter. “But that won’t stop me from being a good boyfriend!”

Albert paled and shifted on his feet. He wanted to be Willie’s boyfriend- he loved the sound of it- but Mrs. Oleson still made him nervous. He used to easily confront her as a kid, but since he’s not a kid and he’s dating her son (who she doesn’t even know is gay), he feels that he has the right to be nervous.

“Should we tell our parents?”

Willie, who was off dreaming about kissing Albert and being able to hold hands in public, was not as worried. “Of course not,” the face he made had Albert wondering if he thought that was an obvious answer (it wasn’t). “Why would we? They’re old.”

Albert, in his regular state of confusion, decided that was a problem meant for later. He rolled his eyes as he asked if they could kiss.

Willie, in his regular state of being far too excited for something, jumped down and grabbed Albert's face to kiss him.

Neither of them expected it; Willie never paid attention to his actions, Albert thought he just wasn’t paying attention overall. But it was _good_ , and Albert wanted it so he wasn’t going to part away from Willie any time soon.

They could both hear Nancy's disgust at any and every type of romantic gesture, but they didn’t bother caring. Even if their competition was essentially useless, Albert was incredibly happy that he proposed it anyway.

They had to part soon enough, just to repeat their love, but after that “mushy stuff was done” (according to Willie), they continued kissing, deepening it as they smiled, hearts still beating fast and stomachs still in knots.

Later that day though, they gave Willie's gift to each of their dads separately; both refusing it as politely as they could.


End file.
